12 Aug 2022, 19:33
the story began with a sketch
⠀ [ september 11, 2022 ] ✦ @Adelaide Barlowe IT ONLY TOOK an awkward train ride and one and a half weeks of school to get Esme back to her usual spot on the grounds with her sketchbook on her lap and her pencil in her hand. It was her normal way of de-stressing... but coming here meant she had already somewhat broken the promise she'd made to herself at the Twirl the Flagon game she'd participated in over the summer. After a little freak out then, she'd told herself she wouldn't be so anxious all the time, that she'd finally figure out a way to get rid of all this stress without going outside and sketching. Because although that strategy worked, and let her calm down and do something she loved at the same time, it still meant she was holding things in. And that meant that at some point, everything would have to come spilling out.
And a flood of panicked thoughts was definitely not something she wanted to go through anymore. You wouldn't believe how many fun things it—she—could ruin, thinking like that. Even with all that being said though... old habits die hard. Plus, it wasn't like she'd been back for months and hadn't found another suitable option for dealing with her stress, it had only been a week. A fairly strange week, too—basically nothing she'd expected to happen had happened, and plenty of things she had thought were impossible had been proved possible after all.
So here she was, out on the grounds. Sketchbook in her lap. Pencil in her hand. Thinking, looking around, trying to find something to draw.
Her gaze landed on another girl a little ways from her, reading a book. Esme hadn't really drawn any people since coming to Hogwarts, even during her first year. If she did, it was only faint outlines or silhouettes, nothing too complicated. Today though, she sort of felt like trying. Maybe making something a little less loose and simple could be fun for once? And really, it wasn't like that girl would ever see it, right? Or anyone, really, Esme didn't let most people look in her sketchbook until she truly trusted them. While she may paint or draw next to someone, letting another flip through the pages on their own felt to personal. Only her aunt had ever done that—and even with her, it had been a while. When Esme needed to think, she'd draw, and sometimes her art showed ideas she couldn't quite figure out yet. And for some reason, she really felt like drawing an actual person right then. So it was alright, she decided, finally pressing the tip of her pencil onto the blank white paper.
Looking up every so often at the other student, lines were carefully drawn and connected, scribbled and swirled. Caught up in her art, Esme would hardly notice anything else but the girl and her paper.stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 ✦ [ stats ]⠀
Last edited by Esmeray Rosslyn on 18 Dec 2022, 00:02, edited 2 times in total.
⠀⠀⠀ability 1⠀⠀⠀ ability 2 | wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything? stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 | ⠀⠀⠀encyclopedia⠀⠀⠀ shop link tba |
13 Aug 2022, 00:09
the story began with a sketch
Mentioning:-----------------------------------
Outfit: x
The Ravenclaw had situated herself on a spot where she could safely see the Great Lake without having to worry about possibly getting sprayed with water by the squid that resided in the lake. She paid no attention to the other students around her, not caring enough to wonder what they were doing with their Sunday. All she wanted to do today was get lost in her book, so that's what she did.
After a while of reading (she didn't bother to check the time, so she wasn't sure how long she had spent lost in between the pages) she decided to finish her current chapter and head back into the castle. Putting her bookmark back into the book she stood up and stretched, starting to slowly walk back to the castle. As she walked, she let her gaze wander, landing on the other students busy talking with their friends, reading like she was or simply just lounging around.
Her eyes briefly landed on a girl sketching something and as she walked closer she couldn't help but glance down at her sketchbook. Only for a split second though, since she knew some people's art were very personal to them and she didn't want to invade the girl's privacy. She started to walk on until she abruptly stopped in her tracks, something clicking in her brain and telling her to backtrack a bit. That she did, looking down at the girl's sketchbook again. Her head tilted, eyes narrowing as she wondered why the drawing looked so familiar to her. Then it clicked. The drawing was her. It had to be, it looked so similar to her, even the same pose she had been in whilst reading.
Whether the girl was aware of her presence or not, Adelaide spoke up, "Nice drawing," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice as she clutched the book close to her chest.
15 Aug 2022, 20:31
the story began with a sketch
⠀ [ september 11, 2022 ] ✦ @Adelaide Barlowe IT DIDN'T TAKE long for the drawing's outline to take shape. The lines grew longer and bolder as more of the girl appeared on the paper, slowly but surely. It wasn't too long before all Esme had left to do were the hands and the book they held, plus some of the smaller details if she wanted to add them. This meant that she could look away for longer stretches of time—while drawing hands was usually one of the hardest parts, Esme had practiced plenty of times and knew by now the correct position to place them in. It was also helpful that the only time the other girl had moved so far was to turn the pages, which was much easier to deal with than if she were constantly making big, quick motions. Somehow, even without knowing it, the girl was the perfect victim.
Wait, what?
Her pencil halted against the paper as Esme shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Not victim, that wasn't the word—it made the whole thing sound creepy. Target? No. Definitely not. Both words made it sound like the gryffindor was planning to stab her with her pencil, the exact opposite of what she was really doing: drawing her. Rubbing her eyes, Esme focused her mind back on the drawing, pushing all questions of what the correct word was to the very back of her head. She'd come out here to de-stress, not whatever that was. A short giggle escaped her lips.
Going back to her drawing, Esme added a few finishing touches to the book. Just a couple of scribbles for the cover, since it was a little too far for her to see the title... A little bit of shading here and there, ignoring the gentle footsteps of whoever was walking by her as she finished up. The drawing was nowhere near perfect, of course, but it had been quite some time and she was almost ready to go back. The footsteps faded slightly, then got louder, but she didn't pay too much attention until—
"Nice drawing,"
"Oh! Thank you," she said, head still down and a little startled. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up to see if the person was still there and—oh. Oh. "This isn't..." It clearly was. She drew the sketchbook closer to herself, as if hiding the drawing now would do anything to affect what had already happened. "You, um, looked perfect for drawing and I wasn't sure what to draw, and... sorry." Esme added hurriedly, still unable to read the girl's reaction.
Yeah, she'd just shut up now.stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 ✦ [ stats ]⠀
Last edited by Esmeray Rosslyn on 20 Aug 2022, 19:42, edited 1 time in total.
⠀⠀⠀ability 1⠀⠀⠀ ability 2 | wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything? stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 | ⠀⠀⠀encyclopedia⠀⠀⠀ shop link tba |
20 Aug 2022, 00:58
the story began with a sketch
Mentioning:-----------------------------------
Outfit: x
The blonde couldn't prevent the slight rosy tint that blossomed on her cheeks when the girl said she 'looked perfect for drawing'. If that wasn't a big compliment, she didn't know what was. Sure, being called beautiful or pretty was nice, but being told that you looked perfect enough for someone to want to draw you? That was like the compliment of compliments. "Thank you," she said, sounding uncharacteristically shy, "for saying I looked perfect for drawing. That's a really nice compliment."
Shaking her head, she gave the girl a gentle smile, "You don't need to apologize, I'm not creeped out or anything, it's okay. Plus, the drawing is really good. You're very talented," she made eye contact with the girl so hopefully the brunette would be able to see that Adelaide was being sincere and wasn't just lying to save the girl from dying of embarrassment. Even though the girl had now turned her sketchbook away from Adelaide so she was unable to see the drawing anymore, it was still practically engraved into her mind. It was a great drawing, and she was clearly quite competent in drawing, so Adelaide wasn't entirely sure why the girl had felt the need to hide the drawing. It was probably because she was embarrassed at having been caught, which was slightly disappointing because Adelaide didn't think her words held any bite behind them. She thought she had sounded amused, or at least that was what she was aiming for so the girl would know that she wasn't angry or upset. But maybe she'd sounded a lot more annoyed than she had originally thought.
"I'm Adelaide Barlowe, by the way," she introduced herself before cautiously asking, "can I see the drawing again?" If she was being honest, Adelaide felt like she had a right to see the drawing because well, it was a drawing of her. But she supposed she half understood if the girl didn't want to show off her drawing again after being caught in what would definitely be a very embarrassing situation in her shoes, even though Adelaide surprisingly didn't mind that the brunette had been drawing her. If anything, this meeting will hopefully turn into a friendship and they can laugh at how exactly they met years later. If that doesn't happen, well, at least Adelaide can walk away with a slight boost to her already quite big ego.
20 Aug 2022, 19:41
the story began with a sketch
⠀ [ september 11, 2022 ] ✦ @Adelaide Barlowe SEEING THE GIRL'S smile, Esme felt herself relax a bit. It didn't seem like she was mad, or even upset in any way. A hesitant smile would make it's way onto her own lips and her tight grip on her sketchbook loosened just the tiniest bit when she realized this. When the other student thanked her for the compliment that she'd supposedly made during her little ramble a few seconds earlier, Esme's smile brightened further. "You're welcome," she said, her voice a little lighter. There must have been some doubt still lacing her tone though, because the girl reassured her once more, her compliments sounding entirely genuine. Esme ducked her head a little in embarrassment. She'd gotten more compliments on her art in the past year than she had in her whole life, and was still adjusting to it all, if she was being honest. Before coming to Hogwarts, while people might have made a few remarks on her work, no one ever stopped to tell her. And it had definitely happened more than once here.
"Thank you," Esme replied eventually, when she looked up and caught the other girl's gaze. Realizing she'd rambled on earlier and then reverted to two word answers, she scolded herself in her head. Sure, she'd come out here to relax and to draw in a quiet, peaceful environment, but there was an opportunity presenting itself here that was begging to be taken. Maybe, if she continued the conversation, if it all went alright... she wouldn't be breaking the promise she'd made to herself after all? Today, her time drawing could be an exception—if she managed to have an actual conversation and possibly? make a friend.
When the other girl introduced herself as Adelaide, Esme gave her a genuine smile, finally. "That's a really pretty name," she said. The second year had never met another Adelaide before... she decided she liked the name. And somehow, although she'd barely spoken three sentences to her and whatever they'd said already hardly counted as a conversation, she felt like it fit the girl perfectly. "I'm—" But she didn't get to introduce herself just yet, because Adelaide asked. A question. About the drawing. If she could see it again.
Expecting her walls to shoot up, for that feeling of wanting to run away, hide, just not, Esme waited a few seconds. But... it never came. It was strange, because she really didn't show people her art. The compliments she'd gotten, the ones she'd thought about before, those were all from people that walked by and just happened to see what she was drawing, had said something, and walked away. For some reason, today felt different. Or maybe it was the person that felt different? Adelaide did deserve to see it, since it was a drawing of her, right? Whatever it was, she didn't immediately shy away from the idea. It might have seemed like the opposite to the blonde because of how long she'd been silent, but if this was so, Esme letting her sketchbook fall to her lap would show her answer in the end.
"Here," she said, voice growing quieter again. Adelaide had already complimented it, but she hadn't been able to look at it for too long before. What if she thought it was terrible now? What if she could see all the flaws—tiny or not—that Esme felt there must be? Trying her hardest not to overthink it, the gryffindor forced her eyes away from the drawing and back up to Adelaide's instead. An introduction now was okay, right? "I'm Esme," she said hurriedly. "Esmeray Rosslyn, really, but just Esme is okay."
And then, because it apparently hadn't left her mind entirely... "What do you call the person an artist is drawing? My mind keeps going to target—" that was a slightly better word to say than victim, "but I know that's not right. And I should know this, because I'm the artist and I was drawing you but my mind is blank? For some reason." A nervous giggle escaped her lips and Esme hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, forget I said that, I—ack."
If that whole thing didn't drive Adelaide away... well that would be something, wouldn't it?stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 ✦ [ stats ]⠀
⠀⠀⠀ability 1⠀⠀⠀ ability 2 | wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything? stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 | ⠀⠀⠀encyclopedia⠀⠀⠀ shop link tba |
2 Sep 2022, 02:03
the story began with a sketch
Mentioning:───────────────────
Outfit: x
"Oh," Adelaide couldn't help but be surprised at her name being called pretty, because she couldn't quite recall if anyone else had ever complimented her name before, and she hadn't really given it much thought either. She supposed it was quite a pretty name, and she did like it. "Thank you," she said after a moment, returning the brunette's genuine smile, "is everything about me pretty or perfect, then?" She mused teasingly but regretted it the second it came out of her mouth. This probably wasn't the best time to tease her, since the girl had probably only just recovered from her previous embarrassment, "That was a joke," Adelaide clarified, "but thank you again for the compliment." Merlin, they were really giving each other a lot of compliments, weren't they?
When the girl's sketchbook fell open on her lap, allowing Adelaide a free view of the drawing, the blonde shifted the book she was carrying to one hand and bent down so she could gently grab hold of the sketchbook. She brought the sketchbook closer to her face to examine every intricate detail about the drawing, and her breath left her in a rush as she stared at it. It was amazing, really and truly amazing, and it made Adelaide wonder whether she actually looked that pretty when she was just sat reading a book. Granted, she was confident in her appearance, and she'd probably describe herself as pretty if someone asked, but the way that the girl - who had just introduced herself as Esme whilst Adelaide was busy staring at the drawing - managed to capture her on paper made her feel infinitely more beautiful.
"Wow, Esme, this is-" it was now Adelaide's turn to be at a loss for words, "this is really, truly amazing. You are very talented. You could probably start a career as an artist, if you really wanted to, with how amazing this is." She said the words with as much sincerity as she could possibly fit into them, before handing the sketchbook back to Esme.
The girl's next words resulted in a snort escaping Adelaide, "What?" She said incredulously, "I think the word you're looking for is model. Definitely not target, unless you were planning to assassinate me with your pencil and sketchbook after finishing the drawing?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly at Esme, as if that could ever possibly be what Esme was planning to do. Unless this girl was actually a psycho in disguise, but that definitely didn't seem plausible. Not wanting to keep Esme straining her neck by looking up at Adelaide any longer, Adelaide would sit down beside the girl, crossing her legs as she sat her book down on her lap.
Despite the utterly strange question that she was just asked, the blonde found herself enjoying Esme's company, even though they had only known each other for a few minutes.
Last edited by Adelaide Barlowe on 14 Jan 2023, 13:49, edited 1 time in total.
21 Dec 2022, 02:18
the story began with a sketch
[ september 11, 2022 ] ✦ @Adelaide Barlowe ESMERAY WASN'T ENTIRELY sure when the conversation had turned to compliments, compliments, and more compliments, but it wasn't the worst change in events. In fact, it was far from it. A little smile tilted the corner of the gryffindor's mouth at the other's remark. "Everything about you seems very art-worthy," she replied, then shook her head. "That didn't make any sense, did it?" Face reddening a bit again, Esme looked down at the ground. Even through her slight embarrassment, she was really quite curious—where had this sudden bravery come from? She had never been one to think of replies so quickly, even if they were as bad as whatever she'd just said. In fact, Gryffindor had been the house that suited her the least. Bravery, strength... that just wasn't Esme, never had been.
But maybe it could be?
Brushing off the sudden revelation about her house, the topic turned back to her drawing. Even though she had all but literally placed her sketchbook in front of Adelaide's face (in her mind, at least), Esme felt a buzz of shock at the sight of the girl holding it. What was happening? How had this happened? Adelaide wasn't family, wasn't remotely close to Esme in any way except for proximity, but there she was, holding what was basically Esme's most vulnerable thoughts and feelings. Sure, those might be on different pages, but if she flipped through, if she decided she wanted to look at others...
And then a breath. After exhaling all the doubts and worries, Esme was now biting her lip to stop from breaking into a smile. That tiny voice of doubt (or reason?) was still whispering in the back of her mind, however, and in a softer tone the girl had to ask—"Really? You think so?" Hearing someone say those words out loud, it was... something. While sure, she had dreamed of living as an artist when she was little, there had never been any doubt in her mind that that was all it was: a dream. Keeping her talent a secret from most in her family tended to make this fact crystal clear as well—if she couldn't even show her own parents, how would she be able to show the world? It didn't make sense. But she was a step closer now...
Adelaide's snort made it very clear how ridiculous her question was, but instead of running away, the other girl actually gave a reply. "Model—I knew that." In return to Adelaide's expression, she added, "I'm not going to attack you, I swear!" Yes, everything was getting better and better by the minute. Clearly. At this point, Esme could basically picture the other girl walking away, a scene that grew more likely as the seconds ticked on. But then oh, maybe this actually wasn't as bad as she thought?
Clutching the sketchbook to her chest, Esme glanced over at the blonde. Trying to switch the subject as far away from the last as possible, she asked, "What book were you reading?" That was a safe bet, right?stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 ✦ [ stats ]
⠀⠀⠀ability 1⠀⠀⠀ ability 2 | wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything? stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 | ⠀⠀⠀encyclopedia⠀⠀⠀ shop link tba |
14 Jan 2023, 13:47
the story began with a sketch
Mentioning:───────────────────
Outfit: x
Adelaide knew of the secrets a sketchbook could hold, the inner workings of the artists' mind could very well be drawn on these pages and if she just turned the page over, she'd be able to see more of Esme's drawings. But she wouldn't. She respected the girl's privacy, and she wasn't going to breach the privacy of someone she barely knew. The Ravenclaw was content in simply staring at the drawing Esme did of her. It still took her breath away every time she gazed at it. Adelaide nodded softly in response to Esme, "Yeah. I do really think so. Trust me, if I thought it was horrible, I would've said. But it's not horrible. This is amazing. Truly."
The mind blank that Esme had was still hilarious to Adelaide, even after answering the question, but she did feel just a tiny bit empathetic towards the brunette after her joke clearly landed wrong. Giving Esme's arm a comforting squeeze, she smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, I was joking. I know you wouldn't attack me. I mean, you don't seem like a very violent person, so..." she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders slightly. The blonde was about to tack on a 'stop worrying' at the end, but she managed to stop herself just before it left her mouth, realizing that maybe it wouldn't of been the best thing to say to Esme. The last thing she wanted was Esme to feel even more guilty or embarrassed at apparently annoying Adelaide, even though she was actually doing the exact opposite of that.
"Hm?" She hummed before turning her gaze down to her lap, her book resting on it, "Oh. It's Emma by Jane Austen, have you read it? One of the classics. I'm enjoying it so far, it's very well written."